Eurozone industrial output down in September

BRUSSELS (AP) — Official figures show industrial output across the 17-country eurozone fell a monthly rate of 0.5 percent in September, a decline that may mean economic growth across the region came to a standstill in the third quarter of the year.

The fall reported Wednesday by Eurostat, the EU's statistics office, was larger than expected and means the sector weighed on third quarter growth. September's fall follows a 1 percent rise in August that only compensated for an equivalent decline in July.

The industrial figures come a day ahead of the first estimate for third quarter growth.

A run of disappointing figures have reined in expectations — before Wednesday's data, the consensus in the markets was that the eurozone eked out growth for the second straight quarter, albeit a paltry 0.2 percent.